As Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election is confirmed by the electoral college, prosecutors continue to investigate fraud allegations surrounding incumbent US President Trump – which could land the outgoing leader in hot water once he leaves office.
While the office of Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has spent over a year trying to force Trump to divulge his personal and corporate tax returns over accusations that he and his family business committed financial crimes, the prosecutor has been ramping up its efforts recently by issuing new subpoenas and questioning witnesses – some even before a grand jury, anonymous sources told The New York Times.
That grand jury appears to be serving an investigative function, allowing prosecutors to authenticate documents and pursue other leads, instead of laying any charges, the news outlet reported.
Employees of lender Deutsche Bank and insurance brokerage Aon have served as critical witnesses for the criminal case, and could offer investigators inside information about the Trump Organization. A person familiar with the interviews told NYT that Vance’s prosecutors recently questioned two Deutsche Bank employees about the bank’s procedures for making lending decisions – but those employees were experts in the bank’s underwriting process, not bankers who worked with the Trump Organization.
The source also said that while the interviews with the Deutsche Bank employees were not about the lender’s relationship with Trump, prosecutors are expected to summon the bank experts again in the near future for more specific interview questions.
Aon also confirmed that it received a subpoena for documents from the district attorney’s office, but declined to comment on the interviews.
“As is our policy, we intend to cooperate with all regulatory bodies, including providing copies of all documents requested by those bodies,” a company spokesperson told NYT in a statement.
While both Deutsche Bank and Aon have been called to serve as witnesses, there is no indication that either company is suspected of wrongdoing.
